Friends 'Til the End
by Amerique
Summary: Bo and Luke's friendship is put to the test when Luke's newest girlfriend starts causing trouble. There's a big fight and Bo takes off, and to make matters worse, Luke may never get the chance to apologize to his cousin.
1. Luke's girlfriend

**Here's a new story for ya'll. I got the idea for it off a site I was on one night.**

**Summary: Bo and Luke's friendship is put to the test when Luke's newest girlfriend starts causing trouble. There's a big fight and Bo takes off, and to make matters worse, Luke may never get the chance to apologize to his cousin. **

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Friends 'Til the End

**Chapter one: Luke's girlfriend**

It was a quiet day in Hazzard County, no car chases, and no crime, which was unusual. But the reason for that was because ol' Luke was out on a date with his latest 'catch', and ol' Bo was at the farm not able to find anything interesting to do, since Luke had the General Lee.

"Uncle Jesse, I'm dying of boredom. How come Luke had ta take the General?" The young blonde asked the elderly man.

Jesse just looked at his nephew with that 'you know the reason' look. "Bo, you know Luke had a date today." He said.

"I know, but couldn't he have taken the pickup or Dixie?"

"Bo, why don'tcha go help Daisy hang the laundry?"

"That's borin'."

"Clean the barn?"

"Did that this mornin'."

"Yer chores?"

"Done them already."

"Fix that fence you broke last week?"

"Already done…wait, no I haven't, but Luke helped break it."

"Well Luke's not here, and you's complainin' about bein' bored, that's somethin' you can do ta pass the time."

"But Uncle Jesse…"

"No buts, now git goin'."

Bo grumbled a 'yes sir' as he stood up and went outside. Jesse sighed and sat down in his favorite chair and picked up the newspaper. "What am I gonna do with that boy?" He muttered to himself.

Bo went straight to the barn and got the wood and nails along with a hammer. After putting everything in the back of the pickup, Bo got in and drove to the back forty, where the fence he'd driven through accidentally, lay scattered on the ground. After getting the good boards out of the truck, Bo went about picking up the broken pieces of wood. Afterwards he began fixing the fence.

Meanwhile, Luke and his newest girlfriend, Caitlyn, Katie for short, we're enjoying a picnic lunch that Daisy had made for them earlier that morning.

"This is really good. Who made it?" Katie asked as she took a bite of her chicken sandwich. Luke looked over at her before answering. "My other cousin, Daisy."

Katie smiled. "She's real good. So how many cousins do you have?" She asked.

"Well, there's Jeb Stewart Duke, Coy and Vance Duke, my cousin Daisy, she lives with me an' my Uncle Jesse and my youngest cousin, Bo."

"Wow, big family."

"Yeah, and them are the only ones I can name right off the top of my head."

"I'd like to meet your family."

"Well we can go to my place after we eat, if you like."

"That'd be nice."

"Well alright then." Luke said as he leaned over and kissed Katie on the lips. Katie returned the kiss and soon both of them were locked in a passionate kiss.

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A little while later, Luke and Katie were packing up and getting ready to go the Duke farm. It took Luke almost twenty minutes to get to the farm, since he took the scenic route. Daisy was still outside, finishing up the laundry when Luke pulled to a stop in the General's usual spot. Smiling, Daisy walked over to the General and looked inside through the driver's side. 

"Hey Luke, yer home early." Daisy said.

"Actually I wanted ya'll to meet someone." Luke said, climbing out of the General. He then ran around to the other side and helped Katie out. "Is Uncle Jesse here?"

"Yeah, he's inside." Daisy said. Looking around, Luke noticed the truck was gone.

"Did Bo go somewhere?"

"Yeah, he's in the back forty fixin' that fence he drove through last week."

"You mean he actually volunteered to go fix it himself?"

"Actually, I think Uncle Jesse told him too."

Luke chuckled. "Sounds just like Bo. Anyway, Daisy, this is Caitlyn Johnson. Katie, this is my cousin Daisy." Luke introduced.

"It's nice to meet ya Daisy." Katie said.

"It's nice to meet'cha too, Katie." Daisy said.

"C'mon, I'll introduce you to my Uncle Jesse." Luke said, taking Katie's hand and leading her inside. Katie nodded and followed Luke. Jesse was still sitting in his chair, reading the paper when Luke and Katie walked in. after introducing Katie to Jesse, Luke led her outside and helped her back in the General. Once Katie was in, Luke climbed across the hood of the General and climbed in the driver's side window. He then started the engine and headed towards the back forty.

Bo had almost finished fixing the fence when he heard the familiar sound of the General Lee's engine come roaring across the field. Turning around, he saw the General coming straight towards him. Bo jumped out of the way just as the General came to a halt, inches from the newly repaired fence and Bo's previous location. Luke looked out the window at his cousin, who was lying on the ground, his arms over his head.

"You ok, Bo?" Luke asked as he climbed out of the General. Bo sat up and shook his head before looking at his older cousin.

"What the heck were you doing? Trying to hit me!" Bo replied, none to happy.

"Sorry 'bout that." Luke said, helping Bo up. Bo just mumbled something incoherent as he brushed the dirt and grass off his jeans and shirt. While Bo was brushing himself off, Luke had gone to the other side of the General and helped Katie out. The minute she got a clear view of Bo, she started thinking of a way to mess with both of the boys.

Bo looked up once he finished brushing himself off.

"Well, hello there lil' missy." Bo greeted when he saw Katie. Katie grinned at Bo.

"Bo, this Caitlyn, Katie for short. Katie, this is my cousin Bo." Luke introduced.

"It's nice to meet you." Katie said, her grin never fading.

"It's nice to meet you too. So how long you and Luke been together?"

"It'll be a month tomorrow." Luke said.

"That's a new record for you, Luke." Bo said.

"Har har. You know what time it is?"

"What do I look like? Big Ben?"

"Well, yer tall enough to be."

"Cute, and no I don't have the time."

"Alright, I'll go ask Uncle Jesse then. See ya later Bo." Luke said as he helped Katie back in the General.

"See ya." Bo said as he got back to work. Luke backed the General up before turning around and heading back to the farm, completely unaware of what Katie was planning.

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That girl sounds like trouble. Ya'll stick around, ya hear? **

Ok, first chappie done, now please review and tell me what you think of it. The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update :)

**A/N: I'm still going to finish my other stories,** **but right now I'm experiencing severe writer's block. As soon as it passes, you can bet your boots I'll be posting new chappies. In the mean time, I'll be doing this one since it's still fresh in my mind, so ya'll have something from me to read :) **


	2. The fight

**Summary: Bo and Luke's friendship is put to the test when Luke's newest girlfriend starts causing trouble. There's a big fight and Bo takes off, and to make matters worse, Luke may never get the chance to apologize to his cousin.**

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Friends 'Til the End

**Chapter 2: The fight**

A week passed since Katie met the rest of the Dukes. And since then, she and Luke had been out with each other almost every day.

One day, Bo and Luke were running errands in town for their uncle.

"Ok, so what all do we gotta do again?" Bo asked once he found a parking place on the square.

"Well, to make things easier, we can split up the things that need done. I'll take the mortgage and bills, and you can go get the groceries and pick up the chicken wire." Luke said as he climbed out of the General.

"Why do I gotta get groceries?"

"Cause we promised Daisy we'd do that for her."

"Yeah, WE promised her, so that means that WE should both get the groceries."

"Bo, the more we argue about who does what, the longer it'll take to get stuff done, which means it'll take longer to go to the Boars Nest."

"Fine, I'll go."

"I thought you'd see things my way."

"Luke! That's not fair!"

"Well cousin, life ain't fair. Get used to it." Luke said as he headed to the bank. Bo mumbled something under his breath as he headed off to get the groceries.

While all that was going on, Katie had been watching them. It was that moment that Katie decided to make her move. Seeing that Luke wasn't around, Katie went after Bo.

"Bo! Bo, wait up." Katie said as she jogged over to Bo. Bo stopped and turned around to see who'd called his name. Seeing it was Katie, Bo smiled at her.

"Hey Katie, you looking for Luke? If so he's in the bank." Bo said.

"Actually, I was looking for you." Katie replied as she stepped closer to Bo.

"What did you want me for?"

"I just wanted to tell you that you're really cute."

"Well, thank ya for the compliment. Listen, I'd love to stick around and talk, but I gotta get the groceries and pick up some chicken wire."

"Oh, c'mon. That can wait." Katie said, starting to flirt.

"Actually, no it can't." Bo said, wanting to get back to doing his task. "I'll see ya later." Bo finished as he started to walk off. Katie grabbed his arm and turned him around and planted a kiss directly on Bo's lips. Bo tried to get away, but Katie tightened her grip on Bo's arm, causing her nails to dig into his arm.

At that very same moment, Luke came out of the bank. Looking around, he saw Bo kissing a girl across the street. Luke didn't think anything of it until he saw who it was Bo was kissing. Luke's good mood was quickly replaced by complete anger.

Katie, seeing Luke storming over, pretended to be in trouble. She tried to get away from Bo; all the while making sure it looked like Bo had forced her to kiss him. Bo didn't know Luke was there until he felt a very rough hand on his shoulder pull him away from Katie.

"What the hell do you think yer doing!" Luke yelled in Bo's face. Bo looked at Luke, having no idea what he was talking about.

"What're you talkin' about, Luke?" Bo asked.

"What am I talking about? Bo, you have a lot of nerve to ask me what I'm talking about; I'll tell you what I'm talking about! You going behind my back and stealing my girlfriend! That's what!"

"But she forced me to kiss her!"

"Yer a grown man! I'm pretty sure you could stop someone from kissing you!" while Luke was accusing Bo, Katie had started crying, pretending to be upset. Turning around, Luke went over to Katie, but not before making sure Bo knew Katie was his girlfriend.

"Oh Luke! It was terrible, he grabbed my arm and wouldn't let go. Then he forced me to kiss him." Katie cried into Luke's shoulder. Luke held Katie close and rubbed her back.

"It's ok Katie. I'll make sure he doesn't do it again." Luke said soothingly. Bo watched Luke with a hurt look in his baby blue eyes. He couldn't believe that Luke would believe Katie over him. Swallowing back the tears that were forming, Bo walked off and headed to the General. He climbed in the passenger's side window and sat, waiting for Luke. It was a few minutes later before Luke came walking towards the General Lee, his arm around Katie's waist.

When Katie saw Bo, she stopped walking, pretending to be afraid of him.

"What's the matter?" Luke asked softly when Katie stopped.

"I don't want to be anywhere near him." She replied, pointing to Bo. Luke nodded and had Katie wait where she was. Walking over to the General, Luke reached in and grabbed Bo's shoulders and started to haul him out of the General.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Bo asked looking at Luke.

"Get out. I'm taking Katie home, and she don't want to be anywhere near you. Although ya can't blame her after what you did to her." Luke said the anger still clear in his voice.

"Luke, for the last time, I didn't do anything to her! She's the one who kissed me!"  
"That's not what I saw; now either you get out by yerself, or I'll force you out." Sighing, Bo finished getting out of the General and walked away from it. When Bo was a good distance away, Luke helped Katie in the General. After that, Luke ran around to the other side and got in. after starting the General, Luke drove out of town, leaving Bo behind.

Bo sighed again. He'd go ask Cooter for a lift back to the farm, but Cooter was out of town for the week, so he was left with two options. One was asking Sheriff Rosco for a ride, and the other was walking. Picking the second choice, Bo began walking back to the farm. And to make matters worse for the young man, the sky started getting cloudy, threatening rain.

Bo was half way back to the farm, after walking for nearly two hours, when it started to rain. It was a light shower at first, but it soon turned into a down pour, drenching him in seconds. Finally after two and a half hours of walking, and a half hour of shivering, Bo made it back to the barn. Knowing Daisy would kill him if he went inside dripping wet, Bo went to the barn to wait for the rain to stop and to dry off some. Bo had noticed that the General wasn't in the yard, which meant it was either in the barn, or Luke wasn't home yet. 

Going into the barn, Bo quickly realized Luke was home because the General was parked in the barn. Sighing, he went to the hayloft ladder and climbed up to the hayloft. Digging through some of the old trunks that were stored there, Bo found an old blanket. Wrapping it tightly around his shoulders, Bo laid down in the hay. He was still shivering, but not as badly as before. Slowly he nodded off to sleep.

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Meanwhile in the house, Luke, Daisy, and Jesse were enjoying a cup of hot coco, none of them aware that Bo was in the barn. 

"I wish Bo would hurry up and get home." Daisy said.

"Yeah, he's been gone an awful long time. Didn't you say he wanted to stay in town to get the stuff we needed?" Jesse asked, looking to Luke.

"Yeah, he must've stayed there to wait out the rain." Luke said, even though he knew already why Bo wasn't home. Jesse nodded, thinking that made sense.

Three hours passed and the rain finally stopped, leaving the town of Hazzard soaked.

"I'm starting to worry, that boy should've been back by now." Jesse said. Luke sighed and stood up.

"I'll go look for him." He said as he went outside. Heading to the barn, Luke was about to get in the General when he thought he heard something in the hayloft. Deciding to check it out, Luke climbed the ladder and peaked over the side. The first thing he saw was something moving under an old blanket. Climbing up the rest of the way, Luke picked up a piece of wood and approached the thing under the blanket. Thinking it was someone waiting to steal something from the barn; Luke raised the piece of wood and cautiously reached out and grabbed the blanket and pulled it off. He then brought the wood down, planning to hit whoever was there.

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I don't like the looks of this. Ya'll best not go to the fridge , otherwise you'll miss what happens next. **

**Ok, chappie 2 done. Ya'll know what to do now :)**


	3. A lost Duke boy

**Summary: Bo and Luke's friendship is put to the test when Luke's newest girlfriend starts causing trouble. There's a big fight and Bo takes off, and to make matters worse, Luke may never get the chance to apologize to his cousin.**

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Friends 'Til the End

**Chapter 3: A lost Duke boy**

The very second Luke saw who he hit, he immediately regretted it. Throwing the piece of wood away, Luke bent down next to Bo. "Bo, Bo are you alright?" He asked. Bo slowly sat up, moaning in pain in the process, and held his left side where Luke had hit him. It took Bo a moment to register what happened and who had hit him. Looking over at Luke, Bo quickly got up and moved away from him. Although Luke had kind of expected that reaction from Bo, it still shocked him.

"Bo, God Bo, I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was you." Luke said truthfully.

"Stay away from me…" Bo said fearfully.

"Bo, please, I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you." Luke pleaded. Not wanting to stay anywhere near Luke, Bo ran towards the edge and jumped off, landing on his feet and rolling a few feet away. It took him a minute to get his bearings back. Once he did, Bo took off running towards the house.

Luke sat in the loft feeling lower then a snake's belly in a tire rut. Sighing, Luke climbed out of the loft and headed inside. When he got inside, Bo was nowhere to be seen. However, Jesse was sitting in the living room, a worried look on his face. Luke slowly approached his uncle, not sure if Bo had told him what had happened or not.

"Uncle Jesse? Is somethin' wrong?" Luke asked. Jesse looked up at Luke.

"Somethin's wrong with Bo. He came running inside and went straight to his room." The white haired man said. Luke felt even worse then before.

"I think I'll go talk to him." Luke said. In truth, he wanted to apologize. Jesse nodded and watched Luke go to his and Bo's room. Luke took a deep breath and knocked on the door. When he got no answer, Luke quietly opened the door. Bo was standing in front of the mirror on his dresser, looking at his side. A large dark bruise had formed, and the area was swollen. Bo looked towards the door when he heard someone come in. He quickly pulled his shirt down and wiped the tears from his eyes when he saw Luke.

"Can I come in?" Luke asked.

"Can't stop you, its yer room too." Bo said quietly. Luke sighed a little and closed the door behind him. Bo quickly diverted his gaze from Luke to the suddenly very interesting gum wrapper that fell off the nightstand the night before. Luke cleared his throat before speaking.

"Bo, listen…about earlier in the barn, I'm really sorry. I had no idea that was you. If I knew, I wouldn't have hit you." Luke said.

"I don't want to hear it! First you accuse me of takin' yer girlfriend, and then you hit me for no reason! Not to mention you make me walk in the rain!" Bo yelled.

"Bo, please calm down. I'm telling you the truth, if I knew that it was you in the loft, I would've never hit you."

"Don't tell me to calm down! You won't even let me tell my side of what happened! Yer just sticking up for that good for nothin' girl of yers!"

"I am not sticking up for her! I'm trying to apologize to you!"

"Well I don't want to hear it!" Bo shouted as he shoved past Luke and opened the door. Bo stormed out of the house, ignoring the questioning look he got from Jesse. Luke came out of the room just in time to hear the General start up and speed away from the farm. Luke sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. Jesse looked over at Luke, wondering what had gotten Bo so worked up.

"I messed up, I really messed up this time, Uncle Jesse." Luke said his voice full of emotion.

"You wanna tell me what happened?" Jesse asked calmly. Luke sighed again and sat down on the couch. He then proceeded to tell Jesse everything leading up to Bo leaving.

"I should've let him tell me his side of what happened. I'm such a jackass!" Luke said.

"Now Luke, yer no jackass. You were upset at what you saw, but you should've made sure who it was you were hitting before hitting someone. Now when Bo comes home, I'll have a talk with him and get his side of what happened." Jesse said, putting a reassuring hand on his oldest nephew's shoulder. "Then we can go from there."

Luke nodded his head. "If he's not back in a couple of hours I'm going to find him."

"Luke, you need to let him be for awhile. He'll come back when he's ready."

"Yes sir."

"Good boy, now you go find something to do in the meantime." Luke nodded his head again and stood up. He went back to his and Bo's room and closed the door before sitting on his bed. Looking around, he found an old car magazine lying on the floor. Picking it up, he began reading it, hoping it would take his mind off what happened.

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Meanwhile, Bo was driving around the back roads of Hazzard. He had to be more careful then usual since the recent rain had made the roads muddy and slippery. Not long after he passed the old Indian caves, Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane and his loyal basset hound, Flash, started chasing the General. 

"For cryin' out loud!" Bo said angrily. Rosco always seemed to pick the worst times to try to catch the General and the Duke boys. Seeing that Rosco was catching up, Bo sped the General up, quickly pulling away from the bumbling sheriff. Despite the fact Bo was an expert driver, he still had some trouble keeping the General on the road because of the mud on the road. Bo went around a curve that led to an old bridge. What Bo didn't know was the bridge had been washed out when the small river flooded.

At the very last second, Bo saw the bridge was out. Slamming on the brakes, Bo tried his hardest to keep the General on the road, all the while praying that he'd stop before he got to the river. Once the General stopped, Bo saw how close he came to driving in the river. However, luck wasn't on his side that day. Rosco saw Bo stop in a hurry and slammed on his brakes to avoid hitting the General.

Because of the muddy road, and the fact Rosco wasn't the best driver in Hazzard, he didn't stop in time and ended up rear ending the General Lee, sending it sliding into the river. Water quickly entered through the windows, filling up the inside with freezing cold, brown water. Luckily though, the General hit some large rocks that were sticking out of the bottom of the river, which kept the orange car from being swept away. After Bo realized what happened, he immediately climbed out of the General, all the while being careful to not slip. While Bo was getting out of the General and trying not to fall in the river, Rosco was sitting in his car trying to figure out what happened.

A loud woof from Flash brought him back to reality. Rosco looked up just in time to see Bo slip off the General and fall in the water. Luckily for Bo, he managed to get a hold of the General's window frame, holding on as tight as he could. Without thinking twice, Rosco picked up his CB mic and called for an ambulance and a wrecker. After getting the 'ok' that help would be there as soon as possible, Rosco got out and ran to the edge of the river. Going back to his car, Rosco got a rope out of the trunk and attempted to throw it out to Bo so he could pull the young Duke boy to shore.

"Bo, grab the rope, I'll pull ya to shore!" Rosco ordered.

Bo nodded and waited for the rope to be thrown out so he could grab it. When the rope landed in the water next to him, Bo reached out to grab it. Bo almost had the rope when his other hand slipped, causing him to be pulled under by the strong current. The next time Rosco saw Bo was when he was further down the river. Not knowing what else to do, Rosco watched as Bo disappeared completely from sight.

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I sure hope Bo gets outta this one alright. Stick around, ya hear? **

**I thought this would be a nice place to put a cliffie. Now please review and you'll find out what happens sooner **


	4. Bad News

**Summary: Bo and Luke's friendship is put to the test when Luke's newest girlfriend starts causing trouble. There's a big fight and Bo takes off, and to make matters worse, Luke may never get the chance to apologize to his cousin.**

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Friends 'Til the End

**Chapter 4: Bad News**

Luke hadn't realized he dozed off on the couch, until he was awaken by the phone ringing. Looking at the clock above the fireplace, he saw it was a little after 9 p.m. since Jesse was some place else in the house, and Daisy had left a little over an hour ago to go to work at the Boars Nest, Luke was left to answer the phone. Getting up, Luke walked over to the phone and answered it.

"Duke farm, Luke Duke speaking." Luke greeted.

"Luke, this is Sheriff Rosco. Is um, is yer Uncle Jesse there?" Rosco asked.

"Um, yeah, just a minute." Luke said as he sat the receiver down. He could tell right away that something was wrong because of the tone of Rosco's voice. After finding Jesse, Luke told him who it was. Jesse went into the living room and picked up the receiver.

"What do ya want Rosco? If yer lookin' for the boys, don't bother. They ain't done nothin' wrong." Jesse said.

"Now Jesse, I'm not accusin' no one of anything. I'm callin' cause I got bad news."

"Bad news? What kinda bad news?" Jesse asked, getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. While Rosco was telling Jesse what had happened, Luke had been watching his uncle. A knot of worry formed in his stomach when he saw the old man pale. After a minute, Jesse said goodbye and hung up the receiver.

"What did Rosco want?" Luke asked. Jesse didn't answer his question, instead he sat down in his favorite chair.

"Jesse? What's wrong?" Luke asked, going over to his uncle. A couple of tears slid down his face before he looked at his nephew. "Bo's gone…" He whispered.

"What about Bo?"

"He's gone…Rosco says he fell in the river and got swept away." Jesse said a little louder. Luke paled at the news.

"He…he can't be. Rosco's gotta be wrong." Luke said, not wanting to believe his baby cousin had more then likely drowned. Luke sat down heavily on the couch and put his head in his hands. A few silent tears slipped down his face. Jesse got up and headed to the door. Looking up, Luke saw Jesse leaving. Not wanting to risk him doing something foolish, even though Luke doubted he would, he got up and followed the Duke patriarch. Jesse had grabbed his red hat and truck keys and headed to his truck.

"Uncle Jesse, where're you going?" Luke asked once he caught up to him.

"Someone has to tell Daisy."

"Jesse, yer in no condition to drive, let me drive." Not in the mood to argue, Jesse handed the keys to Luke and got in the passenger's side, while Luke got in the driver's side. Luke started the truck and drove away from the farm, heading to the Boars nest to break the terrible news to Daisy.

Daisy was busy serving the costumers at the Boars Nest. Because she was so busy, she didn't notice her uncle and older cousin come in. However, someone else did notice them. Standing up, Katie made her way over to Luke, ignoring the distressed look on his face.

"Hey darlin'." Katie greeted Luke, using the biggest grin she could muster.

"Not know Katie, I'm not in the mood." Luke said the distress clear in his voice.

"Oh, what's the matter?"

"I'd rather not say. Have you seen Daisy?"

"Yeah, she's over there." Katie said pointing to the bar where Daisy was waiting for an order.

Luke nodded and made his way over to Daisy, Jesse close behind. Katie, wondering why Luke wasn't paying very much attention to her, followed the Duke men, wanting to listen in on what they had to say. She stood next to Luke, listening carefully.

"Daisy, we…we got somethin' important to tell ya." Luke said, hating to have to tell her.

"Oh hey Luke, hey Uncle Jesse. Is somethin' wrong?" Daisy asked, noticing how quiet the two men were. "Where's Bo?" She asked noticing her younger cousin wasn't with them.

"That's what we need to tell you." Luke replied.

"Luke, what happened? Where's Bo? Is he alright?"

"Listen, Rosco called and said that he was chasin' Bo in the General after Bo an' me had an argument. Anyway, Rosco said he accidentally made the General Lee go in the river and apparently it was up high after the rain. He said Bo climbed out of the General and slipped and fell into the water. He said that…that Bo was swept away." Luke explained, telling her what Jesse had told him after talking with Rosco. Daisy's eyes got wide as tears formed and started falling. While Luke was comforting her, and Jesse comforting both of them, Katie had slipped out after hearing all she knew they'd say.

'_So blondie drowned. That's a shame, he was real good lookin' too.'_ Katie thought to herself as she got in her car. _'Oh well, that means I get Luke all to myself now.' _Starting her car, Katie sped away from the Boars Nest, heading to her house.

Back inside, Boss was in his office and had noticed that it got awfully quiet in the bar. Since Rosco hadn't told Boss, he didn't know what had happened, although Rosco hardly said anything, Boss didn't pay attention to it. Getting up, Boss left his office and noticed some of the people were standing in a group around the bar. Thinking the Dukes had something to do with it, Boss walked over to the group. Taking his cigar out of his mouth, he looked over the group, which was almost silent, except for the sobbing coming from Daisy.

"What in tarnation is going on here?" Boss asked.

"It's a real tragedy, the Dukes lost a loved one." One man said quietly to Boss.

"Oh? Who did they loose?" Boss asked.

"Seems they lost the blond one, Bo." The same man said.

"Well, they should learn to keep track of their kin, and they won't be getting' lost."

"That's not the kinda lost I'm talkin' about."

"Wait, you mean, lost as in dead, lost?" The man nodded. "Oh my, that is a tragedy." Boss said. Even though he didn't care any for the Dukes, especially Bo and Luke, he never wanted to see them get hurt or killed, and from the sound of it, that had just happened. Walking past some of the other people, Boss stood next to Jesse and put a hand on his shoulder to get the grieving man's attention.

"Jesse, I want you to know, I'm deeply sorry about your loss. You know I don't particularly care for your nephews, but I never wanted to see one of them hurt or…well you know. And I wanted you to know, if there's anything that I can do for you, you just name it and it'll be done." Boss said.

"I know J.D., thank you." Jesse said in a quiet voice. Boss nodded as he left the group and headed back to his office.

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Meanwhile at the river, Cooter was just pulling the General Lee out of the river. Normally he would be grinning thinking of all the times he'd gotten the boys out of the water, but not this time. He had overheard what had happened and was deeply saddened. After getting the General out of the water and away from the river bank, Cooter walked back to the edge and looked down the river, praying he'd see Bo clinging to a rock or an overhanging branch, but he didn't, not only because of the darkness settling in, but also because he wasn't there. In fact, Bo wasn't even in Hazzard anymore, he had been swept into Chickasaw County. 

Bo's limp body had been washed on shore near an old cabin. The old man who lived in the cabin with his dog, Sammy, had been coming back from walking with Sammy when the old hound got a whiff of something he didn't recognize. Running ahead of his master, Timothy, Sammy ran until he found the source of the odd smell. It took Timothy a couple of minutes to find Sammy, but once he did, he shined his flashlight on what the ol' hound dog had found. Timothy was surprised to see a young blonde man covered in mud and dripping wet lying half way out of the water.

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I sure hope ol' Bo is alive. Ya'll come back next time, ya hear?

**Ok, there's chapter four. I hope ya'll liked it. Now ya know the drill, review and tell me what you thought of it.**


	5. Good news!

**Hey ya'll, sorry about the delay. I went to my grandma's for three days and when I got back I didn't have a lot of time to write. Life can be sooooo busy. Anyway, on to the story! **

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**Friends 'Til the End**

**Chapter 5: Good news!**

Bo awoke to a strange sound coming from somewhere close by. Opening his eyes, Bo closed them immediately when a bright light made his head hurt. After waiting for the pain to go away, he slowly opened his eyes, this time giving them a chance to adjust to the light.

Hearing Bo move around, Timothy looked over at the young man and saw he had his eyes open. Smiling, he stood up and walked over to the young Duke.

"Good to see you awake." Timothy said with a smile. Bo looked over at the grey haired old man.

"W...where am I?" Bo asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Yer in my cabin just near the county line. Where ya from, son?" The old man asked kindly.

"Hazzard. Oh God, my family must be worried sick about me. I gotta let them know I'm ok." Bo said as he tried to sit up. Instead of sitting up, Bo collapsed back on the couch, moaning a little.

"Easy now son, yer pretty banged up." Timothy said as he gently held Bo down so he wouldn't hurt himself anymore then he already was. "Can you tell me yer name?"

"M'name's Bo…Bo Duke."

"Duke? Now why does that name sound familiar?" Timothy said to himself. "It'll come to me later. Anyway, my name is Timothy Grant. Tim for short. And this is Sammy, he's the one who found you." Tim said, pointing to the blue tick healer hound sitting next to him.

"It's nice to meet you, and thank you for saving me."

"It's no problem. Now you rest up, I'll go fix you some soup. Do you need anymore blankets?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks." Tim nodded as he left the room to fix Bo some soup. Bo snuggled down under the blankets, since he was still freezing from being in the cold water for so long. He hadn't meant to, but after a couple of minutes, he fell asleep. While the soup was warming up, Tim had gone back into the living room to check on Bo. He wasn't surprised when all he saw of the young man was a mop of blonde hair sticking out from under the blankets. Smiling a little, Tim went to the closet and got out another blanket and draped it over Bo. Afterwards Tim went back to the kitchen.

* * *

The following day, a search team was formed and instructed to search along the banks of the river for any trace of Bo. Jesse, Luke, and Cooter would search the area inside Hazzard, while Rosco, Enos, and a couple of local Hazzard boys checked in Chickasaw, since the river went through that county as well. Even Boss' nephew, Cletus, was asked to help. While the search teams were out looking, he was to stay at the Duke farm incase someone called with word on Bo. 

After an entire day of searching without any results, the search teams headed back to their houses for the night, since it was to dark to search any longer. They planned to pick up their search first thing in the morning.

The next morning, Luke was up bright and early. Since there wouldn't be much time to eat a good breakfast, not that any of them would want to until they'd found Bo, dead or alive, much more preferably alive, Luke fixed a quick breakfast which consisted of toast, coffee, and scrambled eggs. Breakfast was uncomfortably quiet, each Duke lost in their own thoughts. None of them ate very much either, since they were all to worried about Bo to have much of an appetite. Finally at eight o'clock, they were ready to start searching again.

After cleaning off the table, the Dukes went out to their own vehicles, Jesse in his pickup, Daisy in Dixie, and Luke in the General Lee, just as Cletus pulled up in an old blue four door sedan, ready to listen for the phone once again, hoping that there'd be some kind of word on Bo's whereabouts. Luke led the way to an old fishing cabin which was the search teams' temporary base. If anyone in either of the two groups found anything that was where they were to report. The ones who stayed at the base were Daisy and Boss Hogg. They were on standby incase one of the searchers got injured or incase they found Bo and needed an ambulance.

After everyone in the two search parties, plus a few new people, Luke laid out a map of the areas surrounding the river.

"Alright, since we have a few new helpers, we'll need to divide them up into the two existing teams." Luke said as he looked around at everyone. "Ok, Bobby Joe, you will be in the same group as Uncle Jesse, Cooter, and me. The same goes for Billy and Johnny. We'll be searching around the ponds and lakes and any other places the Kokosing River empties into. The rest of you will be in the same group as Enos, Rosco, and Tommy Lee. You'll be searching around in Chickasaw. Remember to check all the places that the river empties into as well. I want everyone to report in every thirty minutes just so we know everyone is alright. Now, if there's no questions, we'll get going." Luke finished. After seeing there weren't any questions, the two groups split up to begin the long day of searching.

"I hope they find him today." Daisy said sadly as she watched everyone leave.

"Don't you worry none Daisy, they'll find yer cousin." Boss said. Even though Boss didn't care for the Dukes', he hated to see one of them hurt or missing.

"Oh, I hope your right Boss; I just can't stand not knowing where Bo is and if he's hurt or not." Daisy said. Boss put a hand on her shoulder as he too watched everyone else leave.

* * *

Back in Chickasaw, Bo was enjoying some warm homemade chicken noodle soup. He was feeling better then the day before, but he was still really sore and still a little cold. 

"How're you feelin' today?" Tim asked as he refilled Bo's soup bowl.

"Better then yesterday." Bo replied.

"That's good to hear." Tim said with a smile as he handed Bo the soup.

"Thanks. This is really good."

"I'm glad you like it."

Bo smiled a little as he began eating the soup. Once he was finished, he was feeling much better, although he was still a little chilly and still pretty sore. After a minute, Bo started looking around, hoping to spot a phone so he could call Jesse and tell him where he was. After not seeing one anywhere, Bo let out a disappointed sigh.

Tim was sitting in an old recliner, reading a book. Looking towards the young blonde, Tim smiled sympathetically. He felt sorry for the young man and knew how worried his family must be. As if knowing what Bo had been looking around for, the old man stood up and walked to the kitchen, coming back out moments later with a black phone. Sitting it down next to Bo, Tim looked at him and smiled.

"You best call yer family. I know they's worried sick 'bout ya." Tim said as he patted Bo on the shoulder. Bo smiled gratefully at him before picking up the receiver. After asking the operator to connect him to the Duke farm, Bo waited, hoping someone was there.

* * *

Cletus had been in the kitchen drinking some coffee when the phone rang. Sitting his cup down, he ran into the living room, almost tripping over himself in the process. He quickly picked up the phone just as it was about to ring for the fourth time. 

"Hello, Duke Farm." Cletus greeted.

"_Cletus? What're you doin' there?" _Came the surprised reply.

"May I ask who's calling?"

"_Cletus, it's Bo. Is Uncle Jesse there?" _Cletus nearly fell over with shock. He was expecting someone to call saying they'd found Bo, but he sure as heck wasn't expecting Bo to be the one calling.

"Bo! Where are ya? Everyone's goin' crazy tryin' ta find ya! Are you alright?" Cletus practically yelled. Bo moved the receiver from his ear, not wanting to loose his hearing from Cletus' yelling.

"_Just calm down Cletus, I'm somewhere's in Chickasaw County. I ain't for sure where at exactly."_

Alright, um, I'll get a hold of Uncle Jesse and let him know you called. So, yer somewhere in Chickasaw?"

"_Yeah, but like I said, I don't know where at exactly." _

"Alrighty, just hang tight. I'll let everyone know."

"_Thanks Cletus. I owe ya one."_

"It's no problem Bo. See ya soon."

"_Yeah, see ya." _Bo said as he hung up.

Hanging up the phone, Cletus let out a happy whoop and ran over to the old CB that was kept in the house. Picking up the mic, he pressed the button and began talking.

"Breaker breaker! This is Cletus Hogg callin' the Hazzard search teams, ya'll got yer ears on, come back?" Cletus said, a grin spreading from ear to ear. After a moment, the CB crackled to life and Daisy's voice was heard.

"_This here's Daisy, what'cha want Cletus? Come back." _

"Daisy, I got good news!"

"_You mean, someone's found Bo?"_ Daisy asked, getting excited.

"I dunno, but they must've, cause he just called here! I talked to him myself!" Cletus said happily. For the first time in nearly three days, Daisy was smiling and actually getting happy again.

"_Did he say where he was?"_

"He said he was somewhere in Chickasaw, but he wasn't sure where."

"_Ok, I'll let the teams know. Thanks a bunch Cletus!"_

"It's no problem Daisy, I'm gone!" Cletus put the mic down and ran outside and jumped in his car. Starting the engine, he put it into gear and raced off towards the base, eager to see everyone happy and smiling again after they got the news and got Bo back to Hazzard where he belonged.

* * *

**Looks like everythin's turnin' out right, don't it? Don't forget, Katie's still out there, and still wantin' to cause trouble. Stick around, ya hear? Thing's are bound to get interestin'.**


	6. Reunited

**Friends 'Til the End**

**Chapter 6: Reunited**

After receiving the good news, the search teams headed back to the base. Luke's team was the first to arrive, since they were closer, while Rosco's team came back about ten minutes later.

"Alright, everyone gather 'round." Luke said, motioning for everyone to form a circle around a table that had been set up. "Now that we know Bo's in Chickasaw and he's alive and as well as can be, we're going to need to split up and check every single house, cabin, barn, and any other building that Bo could be in. Since Sheriff Big Ed Little runs that county, me, Uncle Jesse, and Daisy will check the wooded areas with Boss and Rosco. And the rest of you will check the towns and populated areas. Any questions?" Luke asked once he finished explaining what everyone had to do. After seeing there were no questions, everyone was dismissed and split up.

Luke took the General, Daisy took Dixie, and Jesse took his pickup while Rosco, Enos, and Boss went in their own cars, and the other folks who had been helping, took their own cars. Within no time everyone was on their way to Chickasaw County.

While everyone had been celebrating the good news, Katie had been watching from the bushes.

"So blondie is alive. Looks like I'm gonna be busy again." She said to herself. She waited until everyone was out of sight before leaving the cover of the bushes. She then headed down the road, all the while thinking of how she could get Bo out of the way so she could spend more time with Luke, instead of Luke spending his time hanging out with Bo.

Meanwhile, in Chickasaw, Bo was resting, completely unaware that his family and friends, and even a couple of people he considered enemies, were out looking for him, and getting closer with each passing minute. While Bo was napping, Tim and Sammy were out enjoying a peaceful walk along the river.

"Sure is a nice day for a walk, ain't it boy?" Tim said to Sammy. Sammy looked up at his master and wagged his tail and answered with a happy bark. Tim smiled and patted the hound on the head. After walking almost a mile down the river, Tim and Sammy decided to head back, knowing it'd be close to dinner time when they got back.

After walking for a half hour, they finally reached the cabin. However, when they headed to the front door, they noticed an odd colored car coming down the road. Tim stopped at the corner of the house, Sammy stopping right behind him. Tim waited until the car stopped and a dark haired young man, who appeared to be in his early to mid twenties, climbed out and walked up to the door. Not giving the young man time to knock, Tim walked out from around the house.

"Who are ya and what do ya want?" He said in a rough voice. The young man nearly jumped out of his clothes when the old man spoke.

"I'm sorry to intrude, but I was wonderin' if'n you've seen any sign of a young man with curly blonde hair, and stands about 6'4"." The younger man said after he calmed himself down.

"What's yer name? And you'd best be someone with a name I know or else. 'Cause I don't take kindly to strangers on m'property."

"My name's Luke Duke, and the reason I'm here is…"

"Yer lookin' for someone, ain'tcha?" Tim asked, interrupting Luke.

"Yes sir, how'd you know?" Luke asked.

"Follow me." Tim said as he led Luke inside the cabin. Tim ordered Luke to wait in the kitchen while he went to the living room. Walking over to the couch, Tim gently shook Bo's shoulder.

"Time to wake up, son. Got someone here who's been lookin' for ya." Bo shifted a little and opened his eyes. He blinked a couple of times to wake himself up more, before slowly sitting up. Tim smiled and motioned for Bo to stay put while he went back to the kitchen.

Luke was standing near the door, looking around when Tim came back in. He motioned for Luke to follow him, and led him to the living room. Luke's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw his cousin sitting on the couch, fumbling with a button on his yellow shirt. A large smile spread across his face before he walked over to his cousin, who was still busy trying to get his shirt buttoned.

"Bo! I'm so glad your ok." Luke said as he hugged Bo, not even realizing he'd spooked the younger man. When Luke let his cousin go, Bo looked at Luke for a moment, not saying anything. Finally after a minute, Bo threw his arms around Luke's neck and hugged him tight. Luke quickly returned the hug, glad that his baby cousin was alive and safe.

"God Bo, you had me so worried. I'm just glad you're alive and safe." Luke said. Bo buried his face in Luke's shoulder and let the tears fall. Luke didn't care that his shirt was getting wet; all he cared about was his cousin.

"I was so scared. I thought I was gonna die." Bo choked out, his voice making him sound like a scared child. Luke rubbed Bo's back, trying to calm him down.

"Shh, it's alright Bo." Luke said his voice soft.

Tim watched from the doorway of the living room, a smile on his face at the sight of the cousins. Finally after what seemed like forever, Bo finally calmed down. Looking down at him, Luke saw that Bo had cried himself to sleep. After a moment, Luke looked up at Tim and gave him a grateful smile.

"I don't know how I can ever repay you for saving my cousin." Luke said.

"Don't worry about it. Just be sure to tell Jesse Duke that Big Tim said hello." Tim replied, finally remembering why the name Duke sounded so familiar. Luke found it odd that his cousin's rescuer knew Jesse, but decided not to ask questions.

"Will do, and once again, thank you so much for saving Bo. I don't know what I'd do if he wasn't around."

"Like I said, it's no problem. Now you best get going, yer family probably thinks you got lost." Luke nodded his head and carefully picked Bo up and carried him outside, all the while being careful not to wake him. After Luke got Bo in the General, he ran around to the driver's side and jumped in. He looked over at his sleeping cousin and smiled before starting up the General and heading back to the base so he could inform everyone of the good news.

It took Luke nearly an hour to get to Hazzard, since he had to take all the back roads, and drive slower then usual, so he didn't wake up Bo.

Once he got to the base, he quickly called everyone on the CB and let them know he'd found Bo.

Everyone quickly headed back to the base, all of them going way over the speed limit. After awhile, everyone was back at the base, surrounding the General. The loud chatter from everyone was enough to wake up Bo. Opening his eyes, Bo jumped a little.

He hadn't been expecting to find several people looking at him from every direction. He quickly looked over to the driver's seat and was relieved to see that Luke was still with him. Luke reached over and patted Bo's shoulder before climbing out of the General just enough so he could sit on the window frame.

"Alright ya'll, I'm gonna take Bo back to the farm. You can follow the General back to the farm if ya want." Luke said to everyone. Not surprisingly, everyone wanted to follow the General back to the Duke farm. Even Boss Hogg and Rosco wanted to go along.

Smiling, Luke got back in the General and started him up before honking the horn, sending the sound of Dixie through the air. Everyone moved out of the orange Charger's way as Luke headed back to the farm. Everyone else quickly got in their cars and followed the General Lee.

Inside the General, Luke looked over at his cousin, who hadn't said a word since they left Timothy's cabin.

"Somethin' wrong, cuz?" Luke asked. Bo smiled at Luke and quickly shook his head.

"Nope, everything's good now. I'm just so glad to be back home." Bo replied.

"And it's great to have you back home. You have no idea how boring it was with out you causing trouble."

"Cute."

"I know I am." Luke joked. Bo play punched Luke's arm. Luke looked over at Bo and gave him a fake hurt look. Bo just rolled his eyes and soon started laughing. Within seconds, Luke was joining Bo, laughing more then either of them had for nearly three weeks.

"It's good to have ya back cuz'." Luke said with a smile.

"It's good to be back." Bo replied with a smile of his own. All the way back to the farm, both boys joked and laughed with each other.

* * *

**That's good that Bo's back in Hazzard where he belongs, but I'm still worried about that Katie girl, and what she has planned this time. Don't none of ya'll go anywhere's, otherwise you might miss what happens next.**


	7. Another Tragedy

**Hey ya'll, Bo here. Sorry it took so long for an update, but I've been more busy then usual. I've been watching three dogs for a friend, and trust me, four dogs, (the fourth one being my own) are not easy to take care of.**

**A/N: I decided to change the title, I didn't like the old one.**

**Anywho, here's the next chapter. Hope ya enjoy it :) **

* * *

**Friends 'Til the End**

**Chapter 7: Another Tragedy**

A week passed since Bo had been found. Luke had started seeing Katie again, a few days later. Even though they were seeing each other, Luke had wanted to stay at the farm on their dates, mainly because he was worried about Bo, and wanted to make sure he didn't get hurt again. Bo was glad Luke had decided that at first, but after two days of it, Bo was starting to get a little tired of Luke staying home to watch him. He wanted his older cousin to have a good time on his dates, not babysit him the whole time.

One day Luke was home with Katie and Bo was reading a car magazine on the floor. Bo hadn't really been reading the magazine; instead he'd been trying to think of a way to get Luke to leave so he could have fun. After nearly an hour of listening to Luke and Katie talking to each other, Bo decided to tell Luke. Sitting up, Bo turned to his cousin and his girlfriend.

"Luke, can I tell ya somethin'?" Bo asked after a minute. Luke looked at Bo.

"Sure, what'cha need to tell me?" Luke asked. Bo took a deep breath before he began.

"I've been thinking, maybe you and Katie should go some place else for yer dates." Bo said. What he'd said hadn't come out like he'd planned and now he was hoping Luke wouldn't take it the wrong way.

"What're you sayin' Bo? That I can't have my girlfriend over 'cause you're here?"

"No, what I mean is, you should be out having fun, not here watching me. I'll be fine; the thing with the river was just an accident."

"No way Bo. I almost lost you once; I ain't takin' that chance again."

"But Luke, I'm not a kid anymore; I can take care of myself."

"I know that, Bo, but I'm not taking any chances. What if somethin' happens to you when I'm not here?"

"Look, I appreciate all this, but I'm tired of being babysat all the time. I can't even go outside to feed the animals or collect the eggs without being followed."

"Bo, I'm not babysittin' ya. I'm just lookin' out for ya."

"I know that, but dang it Luke, I'm twenty-three years old, I can take care of myself."

"If you could then you wouldn't have damn near drowned yerself!" Luke snapped.

"You think I purposely drove into the river and fell in?" Bo asked, his temper rising.

"Well, with the way you drive, I wouldn't doubt it." Luke said, his own temper rising as well.

"Oh yeah, like I wanted to drive myself into a ragin' river and drown."

"Hey, you just said you did."

"I did not!"

"You did too!"

While Bo and Luke were arguing, Katie was watching with a smile. However, the smile didn't go unnoticed by the youngest Duke.

"What the heck're you smilin' about?" Bo said looking at her.

"What? I'm not smiling." Katie said defensively.

"You were too, I saw ya!" Bo said.

"You leave her outta this!" Luke yelled standing up. Bo stood up as well.

"Why? She was smiling like she enjoyed us arguin'. That girl is trouble if ya ask me." Bo said.

"You take that back." Luke growled.

"Take what back? The fact that I'm right and yer wrong?" Luke lost it right there. He balled up his fist and swung it around and connected square with the right side of Bo's face, knocking the young man to the floor. Katie, who'd stepped out of the way, was grinning. Bo picked himself up off the floor. He turned to Luke, and glared at him.

"Cousin, you just made a big mistake." Bo said as he tackled Luke. Both of them landed on the couch, tipping it over. Both boys tumbled over the overturned couch, one of them knocking a lamp off a stand that was next to the couch, and shattering it. Both of them started wrestling and rolling around on the floor, trading punches with each other. They were so into their fight that they didn't even notice at first that they were both rolling around on the large pieces of broken glass. It wasn't until both of them wore themselves out did they notice how cut up and bloody they both were. Luke was the first one to get up. He looked at himself and saw his clothes were torn and had blood on them.

"Oh, smooth move Bo! Look what you did to my clothes!" Luke yelled. Bo slowly stood up and moved away from Luke.

"I didn't do it! You was the one who threw the first punch!" Bo said as he shook his head to get the bits of glass out of his hair.

"Oh yeah, after you started the argument!" Luke yelled.

Bo snorted and limped to the front door, grabbing his set of car keys off the key ring by the door.

"I'm outta here." Bo said angrily.

"Good, I hope you don't come back!" Luke yelled.

Bo limped painfully out of the house and over to the General. He slowly climbed in the window, wincing when he bumped the still bleeding cuts on the door. Bo put the key into the ignition and started the General. He was glad that Cooter had been able to fix 'em, otherwise he'd be walking instead of driving. Luke watched out the kitchen window as Bo drove down the road. When the General was out of sight, Luke turned to see if Katie was still there. He was glad when she was. He walked over to her and stood in front of her.

"God Katie. I'm so sorry about that. I don't know what got into him. I promise you it won't happen again. Do you forgive me?" Luke asked. Katie thought about it for a second before she smiled.

"Of course I forgive you, Luke." She said with a smile. Luke smiled back and without thinking about it, both of them were soon locked in a passionate kiss.

Meanwhile, Bo was tearing through the back roads of the county. Bo took each curve at a dangerous speed, not really caring if he had trouble keeping control of the General. By that time however, he was more hurt then angry. The hurt being from what Luke had said.

"If he don't want me to come back, then fine, I won't." Bo said to himself. He turned the General down a road that led out of Hazzard.

Bo was half way out of Hazzard when he came to a fairly busy intersection. Since Bo had the right away, he didn't slow down. He was unaware that a drunk driver was approaching the same intersection. Bo had just made it to the center of the intersection when the drunk driver ran the stop sign, running smack dab in the middle of the driver's side door.

The last thing Bo was aware of before darkness consumed him was an excruciating pain going through his entire body. The drunk driver wasn't even aware of the accident, nor the fact that his car had hit another, making the victim car flip over onto its roof. Because neither Bo nor the driver of the other car were wearing seatbelts, both of them were thrown out of their cars and onto the road.

Several people, who'd witnessed the accident, stopped as quickly as they could so they wouldn't be involved in it. Three of the several people who stopped, got out of their cars and ran over to the injured men. One person checked the drunken man, and another checked Bo, while the third went to call for two ambulances. The man who'd checked the drunk driver, checked for a pulse, and slowly stepped away when he didn't find one.

The man, who went over to Bo, also checked for a pulse and was relieved to find one. It was faint and weak, but still there. It wasn't long before the ambulances arrived. One team of paramedics tended to Bo while the other team tended to the man. As the medics were tending to Bo and the man, a news chopper was flying over head, getting scene of the accident on film for the evening news.

It didn't take long for the medics to get Bo ready for transport to Tri County General. Once he was ready, they loaded him into the back of the ambulance and sped away, while the other took the other man's body, since he was pronounced dead at the scene.

* * *

**I sure hope ol' Bo makes it outta this mess alive. Stick around, ya hear?**

**Ok, now then I got a new pet (which really isn't new) and he's hungry. Please feed the Iggy, he likes reviews :)**


	8. A cousin's plea

**Hey ya'll! Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me through this story so far, I really appreciate all the great reviews! This chapter and the next one will have a tissue warning issued. **

**On to the story! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Friends 'Til the End**

**Chapter 8: A cousin's plea**

Luke had been sitting on the couch with Katie, watching a movie on TV. The movie had just started to get good when the phone rang. Sighing, Luke got up to answer it. He picked up the receiver on the third ring.

"Hello, Duke Farm, Luke Duke speaking." Luke greeted.

"_Luke, it's Cooter." _Cooter said.

"Oh, hey Cooter, what can I do for ya?"

"_Turn yer TV to channel 10 and you'll see why I called." _

"Um, ok." Luke said as he sat the receiver down and went over to the TV. He turned the channel to channel 10 and saw the biggest headline of the day. Going back to the phone, Luke picked up the receiver.

"Dang, that's a bad accident." He said.

"_Take a close look at the car on its roof." _Cooter instructed. Luke looked at the car on its roof and paled when he saw the glimmer of orange paint and the edge of something black and white.

"Oh God, Bo." Luke gasped. "Thanks for tellin' me Cooter."

"_No problem Lukas. I just got the call to get the cars. I was watching the news and that's what I saw."_

"Alright, thanks again Cooter." Luke said hanging up. Forgetting about Katie and the TV, Luke picked up the CB mic that was in the house.

"Lost Sheep to Shepard, Lost Sheep to Shepard, you got yer ears on, come back? Shepard, this is an emergency." Luke said into the mic. After a second Jesse's voice came over the air.

"_This is Shepard. What's the emergency?" _

"Uncle Jesse, there's been an accident. Bo was drivin' the General and he got into an accident, a bad one." Luke said. Jesse's face paled at the news.

"_Alright, I'll be there to get'cha soon." _

"Alright, please hurry." Luke said. He put the mic down and returned to the living room. Katie, who didn't realize Luke came back, was laughing at the news. Looking over, Luke saw her laughing.

"What's so funny?" Luke asked.

"Nothing's funny, you just look so cute when your worried." Katie replied with a grin.

"There's nothing funny about anything right now. My cousin was just in an accident." Luke said. Katie just smiled and giggled.

"Serves him right for being stubborn and so hotheaded." Luke frowned and stood up.

"Don't be saying that. No matter how stubborn or hotheaded he is, he's still my cousin and I still love him." Luke said.

"Oh really? Then why'd you say you hope he never came back?"

"I don't have to stand here and listen to you. If you can't respect my cousin, then we're through. I want you out of here now." Luke said firmly.

"Oh Lukey, don't say that."

"Don't call me Lukey. Now I said get out, and I mean, get out!" Luke said, raising his voice.

"Fine, I'll go. And just so ya know, I hope your cousin doesn't come back home, alive at least." Even though Luke had been raised to never hit a girl, what Katie said angered him enough to forget that lesson. He raised his hand and backhanded her across the face, sending her to the ground. Katie sat on the ground, stunned. After her stupor passed, she looked up at Luke with hate filled eyes.

"Luke Duke, you just made a grave mistake. I'll see that you pay for that." Katie growled as she stood up. She glared at Luke for a minute before she stormed out of the small farm house. Luke watched her leave, getting a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"C'mon Uncle Jesse, where are ya?" Luke asked himself. No more then ten minutes after Katie left, Jesse pulled up to the house. Without even bothering to turn off the truck, he got out and ran inside. Luke was sitting at the kitchen table, lost in thought, when Jesse came in. Standing up quickly, Luke met his uncle.

"What in blazes is going on?" Jesse asked wanting answers.

"We gotta get going to the hospital, I'll tell ya on the way." Luke said as he ran outside, Jesse hot on his heels. Luke got in the driver's seat and waited for Jesse to get in before flooring the gas and speeding off for Tri County General. It was silent for the first five minutes of the thirty minute drive. Jesse was the first one to break the tense silence that had settled in the old pickup.

"Now will you please tell me what in blue blazes is goin' on?" Jesse asked impatiently. He was not only wanting to get answers, he feared for his youngest nephew's safety. Luke waited a minute before clearing his throat and answering.

"Cooter called, said that there was an accident. He told me to turn on the television and watch the news. I didn't think anything of it at first, but then I saw the General Lee flipped over on its roof. That's when I called you." Luke explained, leaving out the bit about what happened with Katie.

"Good Lord." Jesse mumbled. He rested his face in his hands as Luke continued to drive as fast as the old pickup would go.

It took about twenty minutes for them to reach the hospital. After parking the truck, Luke and Jesse jumped out and ran inside. They both headed straight for the reception desk.

"Excuse me, ma'am." Jesse said to the young brunette sitting behind the desk. "My nephew, Bo Duke, was brought in earlier." Jesse finished.

"Alright, just one moment. I need to see if we have any patients here by that name." The young woman said. She got up and went over to a filing cabinet and started looking through different files. After a minute she pulled out a folder and walked back over to the desk. She sat down and opened the folder, holding it so she was the only one looking at it. Jesse and Luke were starting to grow impatient. Luke was about to say something when the young woman spoke.

"Yes, we have a patient named Beauregard Duke. He was involved in an accident involving a drunk driver. The doctor's are still working on him as far as I know. As soon as they get him taken care of, a doctor will be out to talk with you." The young woman said. Jesse and Luke both sighed.

"Alright, thank ya ma'am." Jesse said as he turned around. "C'mon Luke, let's go sit down." Luke reluctantly followed his uncle over to two empty chairs. Luke sat down with a sigh and started fidgeting with the chair arm. He was too nervous and anxious to sit still, so he took up pacing instead. Jesse watched his oldest pace back and forth. He didn't say anything, knowing how much Luke was worried about Bo. What Jesse didn't know was, not only was Luke worried, he also felt guilty.

'_Why did I have to tell him never to come back? I didn't mean it. God, if he doesn't pull through this, I'll never forgive myself.'_ Luke thought to himself as he continued pacing. Luke kept his pacing up for nearly two hours straight. Finally Jesse got tired of watching him go back and forth.

"Luke, sit down 'fore you wear a hole in the floor." Jesse ordered. Luke looked over at his uncle and sighed as he walked over to a chair and sat down. No sooner had Luke sat down, an elderly doctor with graying black hair and tan skin came out and walked over to them.

"Mr. Duke?" The doctor asked looking at Jesse. Jesse stood up and shook the doctor's hand as he said, "Yes, that'd be me. How's my nephew?" the doctor sighed.

"He's doing as well as can be expected. From what I understand, the impact of the other car had hit the driver's side door, causing his car to flip, throwing him out in the process. And to be quiet honest, I'm surprised he's even alive. The other man involved in the accident was pronounced dead on the scene and his injuries were nowhere near as bad as your nephew's." The doctor said sympathetically. Jesse's legs seemed to give out and he would've fallen on the floor if Luke hadn't been there to catch him. "We have him on life support right now. While we were working on him, we did loose him once, but were able to bring him back, however he stopped breathing on his own. To tell you the truth, his chances of recovery aren't looking very good right now." The doctor finished. He watched the two Duke men carefully. After a minute, Jesse finally collected himself and looked at the doctor.

"Can…can we see him?" He asked.

"Yes you may, but only one at a time. He is in the ICU, room number 16." The doctor said. Jesse nodded and looked at Luke.

"You can go first." Luke said quietly. Jesse nodded and stood up again and followed the doctor to Bo's room.

Luke sat and watched the clock. Ten minutes later, Jesse came out, tears streaking his face. Luke patted his uncle's back before standing up and following the doctor to Bo's room. Luke walked quietly down the hall and stopped in front of room 16. Since the rooms to the ICU didn't have doors, Luke pushed back the curtain and walked forward. He stopped in his tracks when he saw his baby cousin lying still, hooked up to several machines that were beeping and humming. His skin was deathly pale, and a breathing tube was sticking out of his mouth, held in place by several pieces of medical tape. The bruises on Bo's face and arms stuck out like a sore thumb against his pale skin. Bo's left arm was in a cast, clearly indicating it was broken, and there were several bandages covering numerous cuts on his face. To Luke, Bo looked like he was death warmed over.

Luke crossed over to Bo's bed and carefully picked up his hand. Luke shivered when he felt how cold it was.

"C'mon cousin, ya gotta pull through this." Luke said as he brushed a strand of blonde hair out of Bo's eyes. Just like he'd expected, the only response Luke got was the steady hum and beeps of the machines he knew were keeping his cousin alive. Luke pulled a chair up and sat down. Even though Luke was never one to show his emotions, seeing his cousin, his best friend, lying so helpless and still, Luke couldn't keep the tears from falling.

"Damn it Bo, please wake up." Luke said in between sobs. Just like before, the only sound in the room was from the machines.

The ten minutes Luke was allowed to visit, seemed to go by to quickly. The doctor returned and escorted Luke out of the room and back to the waiting room with Jesse. Jesse was sitting in the same chair as before, but had gotten up to call Daisy after Luke went back, and told her what happened. Luke sat down next to Jesse and hid his face in his hands. Jesse put a supportive hand on his oldest charge's shoulder. Both men remained silent the rest of the time they were there.

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**I hope Bo gets better. Stay tuned, ya hear?**

**Ok, now Iggy's hungry again. His appitite is never satisfied. Reviews will help satisfy him though, so review and feed the Iggy :)**


	9. Another Setback

**Ok, I lied, not intentionally, but I said in the last chapter that this one would also have a tissue warning, it don't. Sorry 'bout that, author mistake.**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter, hope ya'll enjoy!**

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**Friends 'Til the End**

**Chapter 9: Another Setback**

The Dukes spent the next couple of days by Bo's side. During that time, Luke rarely left his side. The only times he did was to the restroom or to get something to eat when Jesse and Daisy weren't there. Over those two days, Bo had started to slowly improve, and was taken off of life support three days later.

It was almost a week after Bo was first brought in, and two days after he was taken off life support, before he started to show any signs of waking up.

Luke had gone to use the restroom and was only gone a few minutes when Bo chose to finally wake up. Not recognizing where he was and not seeing anyone around, Bo started to panic. That's the sight Luke returned to after his small 'break'. Rushing over to his cousin's side, Luke started talking to him, trying to calm him down.

"Bo, cousin, you gotta calm down." Luke said. Bo looked up at Luke. Luke saw the confused and scared look in his cousin's baby blue eyes. Seeing that Luke was there, Bo started to calm down a little.

"Bo, ya gotta relax so ya don't hurt yourself anymore." Luke said soothingly. After a few minutes, Bo looked at Luke with questioning eyes.

"You're in the hospital, Bo. Ya were hit by a drunk driver." Luke said, knowing that was probably what Bo was wondering. Bo nodded his head as much as could to let Luke know he understood. Bo lifted his right hand as much as possible and reached for Luke's hand. Luke saw what he was doing and took Bo's hand.

"Good to have ya back cuz'. We were real worried about ya." Luke said with a smile.

"Sorry." Bo whispered, his voice hoarse from not being used in awhile.

"Ya ain't got nothin' to be sorry for. I'm the one who should be apologizin'. I should've listened to ya, you were right, Katie isn't anything but trouble. I promise ya, I'm through with her." Luke said sincerely. Bo nodded his head again as his eyes started to slip shut.

"You go ahead and rest. I'll be here." Luke said as Bo fell asleep again. A tear slipped down Luke's face, this time it wasn't a tear of sadness, but one of happiness. Luke was more then happy that Bo woke up; he just hoped that his baby cousin would be able to go home soon. Quickly wiping it away, Luke stood up to get a doctor to let him know that Bo had woken up.

Unknown to Luke, Katie had been watching Bo's room. After Luke left, Katie entered the room, a mask over her nose and mouth and rubber gloves on her hands. She had a small pill bottle with a clear, odorless liquid inside. Going over to the window, she quickly opened it before crossing back to Bo. Taking out an eye dropper, she opened the bottle and sucked up a little of the liquid with the eye dropper. She closed the bottle and sat on the stand beside the bed.

Using her free hand, Katie carefully opened Bo's mouth and stuck the end of the eye dropper in it; Katie emptied the contents into Bo's mouth. Katie looked up when she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Hurrying out of the room so she wouldn't be caught, Katie forgot the bottle. She climbed out of the window and down the side of the hospital. No sooner had she left, Luke and Bo's doctor came in. Doctor Richard O'Brien walked over and began examining Bo. Bo woke up when he felt someone standing over him.

"Well hello there young man." Doctor O'Brian greeted. Bo looked at the doctor and brought a hand up to his nose when it started running. Luke saw what Bo was doing and got him a tissue. "Here Bo, wipe your nose." He said. Bo took the tissue and wiped his nose. No sooner had Bo finished wiping his nose, his chest started feeling like it was tightening up. He rubbed his chest and had a pained look on his face. The doctor noticed and got a little concerned. "Is your chest hurting?" He asked. Bo nodded his head and the pain got a little worse. Luke looked at his cousin with a concerned looked on his face. It was when he glanced over at the stand.  
"Hey, what's that?" Luke asked pointing at the bottle.

"What's what?" The doctor asked, looking at what Luke was pointing at. Seeing the bottle, the doctor picked it up looked at it. He read what was written in black permanent marker on the side of the bottle. His eyes got wide when he recognized the word. Sarin.

"Mr. Duke, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." The doctor said as he immediately ushered Luke out of the room. The doctor ran down the hall and disappeared into a room.

Not long after Luke and the doctor left the room, Bo started feeling nauseous and having trouble breathing. He was also starting to have trouble swallowing, which made him start drooling. The doctor came back a couple of minutes later. He had a syringe filled with a liquid. He quickly cleaned a spot on Bo's upper arm and injected the liquid into his arm.

Luke had been watching through the window and was worried about his cousin. He had no idea what was going on, all he knew was that it had to bad for the doctor to practically push him out like he had and then take off running down the hall and come running back with a syringe.

After a few minutes, the doctor came back out.

"What the hell happened?" Luke asked, more worried then anything.

"That bottle you found, it has a very toxic nerve agent in it. It's called Sarin. It's a lethal poison that attacks the nervous system. Beauregard's very lucky that we caught it in time, otherwise it would've killed him. He's also very lucky that we had the antidotes, atropine, and pralidoxime in stock. However, because it's such a lethal poison, there might've been damage done to his nervous system. We will run tests to see if there is any damage." Doctor O'Brian said. Luke sighed and punched the wall with his fist.

"Damnit!" Luke yelled. The doctor didn't say anything, knowing that the oldest Duke boy needed to blow off some steam.

"You may go back in now, but just so you know, he may vomit and his arms, legs, and hands may jerk and twitch. Those are other symptoms of sarin poisoning, but as long as his body doesn't reject the antidotes, he should be fine. As for the tests, I will need to wait until the toxin is completely out of his system, otherwise they may not come out accurate."

"Alright, thanks doc." Luke said as he headed back inside the room. The doctor nodded and walked away.

Bo had his eyes closed, clearly asleep. Every once in awhile, Luke noticed Bo's fingers and hands would twitch occasionally. Luke knew he needed to call Jesse and tell him what happened, but he didn't want to risk leaving Bo alone again. Luke vowed that he wouldn't leave Bo's side for anything, unless he was forced out, even then he'd put up a fight if he had too. Luke sat in the chair beside Bo's bed and watched him sleep, his hands, and arms jerking and twitching every few minutes.

"Who would do somethin' like this to ya?" Luke whispered. He picked up Bo's hand and held it. He then smoothed some of Bo's blonde locks out of his face. "C'mon cousin, you gotta get better." Luke said. Luke sat the rest of the night keeping watch over his baby cousin.

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**That's the end of chapter 9. Hope ya'll liked it. The Iggy is hungry again, he needs food. Please review and help feed the Iggy! **

**A/N: The toxin, sarin, is a real poison. I looked it up on the web as well as the antidotes, which are also real. I'm not 100 sure that it works that fast, but the way I understood it, it works quickly. Just wanted to point that little thing out.**


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